Okay, last batch was a bunch of pretty darned good ones, let's see if DC/Warners can keep up the pace.
Man, they really churned these babies out, didn't they?
Guess that's how they kept up with Marvel's live-action output...
Okay, nuff bullshit, let's go...
Superman/Batman: Public Enemies
The film-
Lex Luthor becomes president, decrees that all supers have to join up with the government, or be run in by the supers who've signed on with him.
Supes and Bats are essentially all like, "fuck you".
Lex frames Superman for the murder of Metallo, and puts out a bounty on Supes/Bats for a billion dollars.
Hijinks ensue.
Conroy and Daly are back as Bats & Supes, and, even though the animation is in a different style, and...it seems to be in a different 'verse, reference is made to "Superman: Doomsday", and...possibly "The Batman Superman Movie".
So...it's a tough call if this is "in continuity", or what that even means at this point.
Fuck it, just enjoy this shit.
It's fuckin' good, okay?
The history-
N/A
Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths
The film-
Good Lex Luthor from an alternate dimension warps to the dimension of the Justice League for help against his world's bad Justice League, called The Crime Syndicate.
The JLA naturally agrees, and, the adventure begins.
Firefly fans rejoice, Gina Torres is Evil Wonder Woman, A.K.A Superwoman, and she's fuckin' great.
You'll love her.
Also, ya got James Woods as Evil Batman A.K.A Owl Man.
Good talent in this one.
Oh, okay, Billy Baldwin Batman is *wavey hand*
Eh, he gets the job done.
Can't help but miss Kevin Conroy.
So, yeah, basically, this introduces the whole Infinite Earth mess into the DC animated-verse.
Welcome aboard, new kiddies, you're gonna go on the ride us old-timers went through in the 80's.
Heheheheh.
Well, thankfully, this one doesn't get as messy as "Crisis On The Infinite Earths", they keep it relatively simple here.
It's a good ride.
The history-
N/A
Batman: Under The Red Hood
The film-
Aw, man, this was fucking great!
And I thought "BB: Return of the Joker", was badass.
This one rolls up its sleeves, and digs right into the Jason Todd stuff.
Really graphic shit here, definitely not for little kids...teens and up.
On the one hand, I miss Mark Hamill's Joker here, on the other hand, John DiMaggio (Bender, Jake) is fucking awesome in everything he does, and here is no exception.
His Joker is nice and twisted.
Bruce Greenwood is no slouch as Batman either.
Hmm, eye popping animation, great voice talent...but, do I love it?
Ehh, I gotta let it fester in my head awhile.
No..no I don't, I fell in love with "The Batman Superman Movie", right off.
This is fucking great, but I don't love it.
But, that ain't bad, that puts it on the same level as "Batman vs. Dracula".
Which, ain't too shabby.
Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
The film-
The immediate sequel to "Superman/Batman: Public Enemies".
Conroy and Daly are back again, and it's yet another animation style.
I like the change-ups so far.
Supergirl lands on Earth, but, she's not Supergirl yet, and old time fans like me kinda have to play along with the "mystery", of Bats and Supes figuring out who she "really", is.
Wonder Woman gets involved with her tutelage/protection, and then, Darkseid up and decides he wants her for some kind of bodyguard/soldier, as if he even needs bodyguarding. Frankly, I think he just wants to fuck her.
Darkseid snatches her, and Bats/Supes/Tuts enlist Big Barda to take them to planet Apokalypse, and the real adventure begins.
Ehh...this one is definitely more Superman-centric, and Batman is just along for the ride.
Wonder Woman gets some great scenes in for sure.
Good stuff.
That's it, just good stuff.
The history-
N/A
All-Star Superman
The film-
The final adventures of Superman in an alterni-verse.
Eh, pretty good.
My least favorite of this batch, I think.
Couldn't tell ya why.
The animation is incredible in this though.
Exactly as good as that phantom movie I seemingly hallucinated (see "Superman: Brainiac Attacks").
I was hoping this would be the one, but, nope.
Anyhoo, Superman gets exposed to massive doses of solar radiation, and becomes massively stronger, and smarter, and becomes immune to Kryptonite, but....his cells literally can't hold the energy, so, he's dying.
So, with his remaining days, he sets out to do everything he ever wanted to do, including revealing his identity to Lois.
Meanwhile, Luthor schemes....
The history-
This...is based on a relatively new graphic novel, but it reminds me an awful lot of old reprint stuff from the 50's/60's I had as a kid.
Y'know, cosmic stuff every issue where Superman juggles planets, and snuffs out suns, and Lex beats up Superman, and Lois gets powers, and the bottled city of Kandor, and all that shit.
It's pretty much all here.
It's like they made a laundry list, and crammed it all in.
Fun little flick, but...not sure how it plays today, the bullshit technobabble of the 2010's barely keeps up with the mumbo-jumbo.
Gotta let this one ferment in my head a bit for sure....
Green Lantern: Emerald Knights
The film-
Another anthology, like "Batman Gotham Knight".
This came out to coincide with the Ryan Reynolds Green Lantern flick, but....I'm not 100% on if it's supposed to be in the same world or not.
Ahh, doesn't matter.
"Justice League: Crisis On Two Earths", even said so.
Eh, these were pretty good..
Dunno if I liked it as much as "Gotham Knight", though.
Eh, apples n' oranges.
The history-
I got a couple of these stories in "DC Universe: The Stories Of Alan Moore".
I think I like the comic's take on "Mogo Doesn't Socialize", better, but the animated take is interesting too.
Batman: Year One
A page-by-page adaptation of the graphic novel.
Fucking perfect.
If you love the book, you'll love this, and vice versa.
Easily my fave of the Batmans of this batch.
Next year, at long, long, last "The Dark Knight Returns".
Yes, finally.
Finally.
*Wipes a tear*
The history-
Oh, don't even get me started....
So, up next year, the aforementioned "Batman: The Dark Knight Returns", plus "Justice League: Doom", and "Superman vs. The Elite".
I'll do those as a part 4 when they come out.
Promise.
Edit-Promise kept. ;)
Edit-edit- Double kept. ;)
Theeeere aaall done!
Up next...Marvel animation!
(This goes between this and this)
7 comments:
Oh, crap!
I was too tired last night for it to click, but it jumps out and bites me now!
"Under The Read Hood", is a total rip on "Mask of the Phantasm".
Someone from Batman's past coming back as a crazy killer Batman-clone!
Even the endings are strikingly similar!
Well...it's not necessarily a bad thing...
There are only 3 stories in the world, and everyone's been recycling them, what matters is the unique spin the artist puts on them.
Is "Red Hood's", spin different enough to distinguish it?
That's the debatable part.
Me, I really dug Bender-Joker.
Red, not read.
Stupid spellchecker not grabbing correctly spelled words...
Geez, I haven't seen any of these suckers . . .
When I first heard about 'Red Hood', I thought it was going to be some sort of Killing Joke related Joker story . . . then I hear it's actually Jason Todd.
Well, shit. So much for the theory that he was one of the few characters they'd NEVER bring back to life.
Let's see, who else was there . . . Barry Allen? I don't pay attention . . . did they resurrect him too already? Bucky, but now he's back as the Winter Soldier, so nuts to that.
OKAY . . . I gotta feelin . . . C'MON UNCLE BEN!!
*A Disney/Marvel exec sees this*
*Cue a DVD box for "Spiderman: the rise of Uncle Ben", appearing on Google*
(Vader)
NNNNOOOOOOOOO!!!
Right, see, because 'Uncle' Ben wasn't Petey's uncle, but his minder, because the spider bite-- everything--was staged and orchestrated from the beginning! Why do you THINK (ahem) 'Uncle' Ben was always telling Petey, 'with great power comes great responsibility'? . . . to do as you're told by the government! Is what he left unsaid. But it was aaaall a part of the programming.
Oh. Speaking of 'programming'? Did I mention that 'Uncle' Ben was a Life Model Decoy? That's right. Spidey is actually a super secret SHIELD super soldier sleeper program!!!
D:
You heard it here first, true believers.
OH.
And the title of this full Marvel continuity all title interfering with special event arc?
. . .
" . . . CRY UNCLE!"
Unh, comes to that, I think I will.
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